


You Look Happier

by colormyheartred



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, David and Emma are siblings, F/M, Matchmaking, Radio, Romantic Comedy, Secret Relationship, That coveted best friend's sibling trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 16:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11925156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colormyheartred/pseuds/colormyheartred
Summary: Radio DJ David Nolan’s sister Emma moves to town to be close to him as he prepares for his upcoming wedding to Mary Margaret. Maybe he’s just a little bit crazy from wedding stress, but he kinda wants to set her up with his co-host and best friend Killian. (oneshot)





	You Look Happier

**Author's Note:**

> an: this story came from a prompt I received on tumblr: “how about a captain swan where Killian is dating his best friend’s sister or Emma is dating her best friend’s brother? Maybe with some secret dating?” and then it sprouted into this giant oneshot monstrosity. 
> 
> If you like the secret dating, matchmaking, and romantic comedy, you’ll probably dig this.

“Good morning! It is seven o’clock and you’re listening to The Charmed Morning Show on 90.2 FM.” David Nolan smiles against the microphone in front of him. He glances over at his companion, Killian Jones, finding the man grinning from ear-to-ear. “I’m David, as always joined by my dashingly handsome co-host Killian. How’s the day treating you so far?”

Killian shifts ever so slightly in his spot and shrugs, lifting an eyebrow that David is fairly certain can be heard in the sound of his voice when he speaks.

“You know, I can’t complain, David.” Killian’s gentle, and dare he even think it- beautiful- British accent gracefully slides from his tongue. “It’s a beautiful morning out there. And do you know what, that saint of a woman Granny Lucas at the diner near the station gave me an extra bagel this morning.”

“No kidding! Where’s mine?”

Killian hesitates audibly. “Eh… it’s in my stomach. Sorry about that, mate.”

David sighs heavily against his microphone, pretending to be upset. “It’s fine… I’ll just… listen to this next song and try to forgive you.”

He cues up the next song and grabs his paper cup of coffee for a hard sip of caffeine. Killian sets his headphones around his neck and laughs as he scribbles out a note on a piece of paper in front of him.

David has been at this radio station for a long time. He’d started as a copy boy for one of the region’s most popular on-air talent in college, which inevitably led him to producing for a while.

He nabbed a few hours on air filling in for the morning show during the summer a few years ago, and the station manager at the time loved him so much that he’d completely shuffled the schedule to give him the afternoon show. Of course, that was before new management took over and ultimately promoted him to the morning.

It’s fun, getting to host a morning show. He likes the high of being in the moment and he loves getting to do it with one of his best friends. Killian had only joined on about a year and a half ago, but it feels like he’s been here forever.

He and Killian spend a lot of time together, with their show and their desks in the same area. Typically, Killian will come over for a beer and Xbox after the day is through, or he’ll go visit Killian’s brother’s bar. Killian’s become part of his close circle of friends and he thinks life is better for it.

Things are a little different now that he’s engaged, but Mary Margaret adores Killian just as much as he does. She’s always asking him to come to brunch on the weekends and to just about anything she can safely get away with inviting him to.

“Mary Margaret told me you went out with one of her friends last night.” David lifts an eyebrow at his co-host. “How’d that go?”

David can’t help but admire Killian. The man is as charming as they come, handsome as all get out, and talented as can be. And, he’s single, a fact that David cannot believe for the life of him.

“Ah-” Killian grimaces before David can finish. He meets his eyes sorrowfully. “She stood me up.”

“No!” David shakes his head. He glances over at the computer and finds they have ten seconds. “Oh, we’re back.”

Killian fumbles with his headphones and leans his folded arms against the tabletop.

David gives the song details before shifting to look at Killian. “So, we were just talking and I realized we need to get you set up with someone.”

Killian tosses a hand at him casually. They’ve done this riff enough times for him to know that Killian’s not bothered by it, so the noncommittal look on his face isn’t meant to offend.

“Nah,” he says. “I’m good, mate. Thanks though.”

David laughs. “What, you don’t want to see if one of our listeners is The One?”

Killian hums against the microphone. “Dave, you know I don’t believe in that the way you do. How’s the wife-to-be doing, by the way?”

“Ugh! Let me tell you something about wedding planning, Killian.” David sets his hands down on the table firmly. “It sucks.”

///

“Another great show today, boys.” Robin grins at them as they step out into the hall post-show. He claps David on the back and clutches his laptop against his chest with his other hand.

Killian smiles back at the producer. “Thanks, mate.”

Robin tilts his head toward the station manager’s office. “I’ve got a meeting with Regina, but you fools get ready for the planning meeting today. We have to rebrand.”

“Fine, fine,” Killian shoos Robin away. “We’ve got ideas. Promise.”

Robin gives them a look, as if he doesn’t believe them. “I’ll be in your office in an hour.”

He hurries off to meet with Regina, leaving David and Killian to themselves.

David laughs under his breath and steps toward their office just up the hall from the recording room. “So you don’t believe in The One, huh?”

Killian lifts an eyebrow at his co-host. “You’re still on that?”

“Well, I’m just… I get it, I do, but I don’t know. It’s special, thinking there’s someone just right for you out there.” David steps into their joint office and immediately stops short, his eyes widening as he laughs in surprise. “Emma! What are you doing here?”

Emma chuckles and stands from where she’d been sitting at his desk. His sister looks so different, older, but still so much the girl he’d picked on as kids. She moves toward him for a hug.

“I wanted to surprise you at work.” Emma tells him as they embrace warmly.

David shuts his eyes for a second and squeezes her tight. “Well, color me surprised. I had no idea.”

He pulls away from her and grins, examining every detail of her features. Her eyes shine brighter than ever, and she has longer hair, a little curlier and more wavy. It’s nice.

He cannot believe she’s here- in his office, within hand’s reach. It has been far too long.

Killian clears his throat from behind them and David steps back, looking between the two. “Oh, right. Sorry. Emma, let me introduce you to my co-host, Killian.”

Emma smiles brightly at Killian and extends her hand to shake. Killian replies in kind. He lifts an eyebrow. “A pleasure, Emma.”

Killian moves toward his desk and David sets his papers and laptop on his. He shakes his head at Emma.

“So, you’re here.”

Emma laughs. “I’m here. For good. I have an apartment and everything.”

David’s heart feels lighter than it has in what feels like years. He can’t stop smiling as he stares at his sister.

She looks beautiful, happy, and healthy. She’s been moving from city to city for years, and he’s worried about her for a long time, but now she’s  _here_  and he can’t believe it.

“Emma, I’m so happy,” he laughs. Tears well up in his eyes and he tilts his head slightly to the side.

Emma rolls her eyes and grabs his arm to give it a hard shake. “Come on. No crying. Take me for a tour. I want to see where you work.”

David clears his throat, finding himself keenly aware that his best friend is likely watching on as he gets emotional over his sister coming to live here.

He nods and turns, gesturing to the desk. “Okay, well, here’s my desk.”

Emma hums. “I’ve become acquainted. Nice bobble heads.”

David glances at the figures that he’d collected, beside his pictures of family and friends. One’s of Emma- he’ll have to replace that soon, now that she’s here and staying. The idea brings him so much unexpected joy.

He smiles and drapes his arm around Emma’s shoulders. “I’m a collector now.”

“Oh yeah?” Emma teases, brow lifted.

“It’s a big deal.” David replies.

He walks with her out of the office and back into the hall.

He can’t help but admire her again and again, at the glow in her rosy cheeks and the carefree way her hair spills over her back. She has bright eyes no longer sad or lost, and he thinks it might be the best part of this new Emma he’s seeing.

“So where are you living?” he asks.

“A few blocks from your place, actually.” Emma says, looking up at him with a wry grin.

It doesn’t surprise him that she already has a place. She may have been in the city for a while and he’s only now hearing about it. But he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care at all.

“Yeah?” David grins. His heart swells all over again with delight over the fact that she’s actually here, next to him,  _happy_. It’s been so long since he’s seen her happy. “We’re going out tonight with Mary Margaret. We’re taking you to the place that makes the best burgers and shakes.”

Emma throws her head back and moans happily. “God, I should’ve come to live near you so much sooner.”

David leans in close and kisses her temple. He adores his little sister with his whole heart, and he’ll protect her to his last breath.

“Okay, so here’s where we do the show,” David says as they move close to the recording room. “I sit over there and Killian sits there.” He points into the room and then gestures to the control room connected to it. “That’s where they yell at us in our ears if we get facts wrong.”

Emma hums. “Which is hardly ever, right?”

David gives his sister a look. “Of course.”

Emma laughs and he can’t help but grin as he walks her down the hall toward the posters of he and Killian’s morning show, all of which are designed to be like their favorite movie posters.

“So are you seeing anybody?” he casually ventures.

Emma rolls her eyes as if she’d thought this time would come. “No, I’m not.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” David teases.

He sees her slight frown, a sadness finding her eyes for the first time since she’d arrived. The topic of relationships is always hard for her, but probably increasingly so after her last one just a short while ago. It was so bad that he’d had to fly out to Seattle just to make sure she was going to be okay afterwards.

David bumps hips with her and it encourages a slight smile from her again.

“It’s a fresh start in the city, right?” he asks. “You’re going to be great here. You’re near me and Mary Margaret and you’ll have friends in no time at all.”

Emma smiles and nods. “Yeah.”

He takes her back toward his office after she sees the mail room and the break room, and when they arrive, David’s phone rings at his desk, so he leaves his sister standing in the doorway facing Killian.

Killian smiles at Emma. Emma smiles back.

He doesn’t hear what Killian says, but it makes Emma laugh. She moves toward Killian’s desk and he shows her one of his figurines. Both of their eyes brighten as they share laughter over something seemingly insignificant.

David knows Killian well enough to know that his best friend could sweep anyone off of their feet if he wanted to. Blessedly, he seems to be holding back.

Emma nibbles on her lip slightly as Killian speaks vibrantly about something that has him gesturing broadly with his hands, and she seems, for lack of a better word, charmed.

And it’s in this instant that David realizes something he’s sure any sane person would never think about. Killian Jones is a great person with a good heart, and he wants his sister to have someone only if they’re as good as him.

///

On Emma’s first night in a new city, her brother and her future sister-in-law take her to eat burgers and fries.

It’s amazing, as they’d promised, and she has fun getting to catch up with family. Mary Margaret tells her she’ll be one of her bridesmaids, now that she’s close and not going anywhere, and while it stings just a little, she gets it. And she’s happy to be able to be in the wedding at all.

On the second night, they take her out to one of their favorite bars with all of their friends gathered around a table that’s apparently saved for them every Friday at this time.

She’s dressed nicely per David’s request that she not look like a bum, something that had awarded him a good pinch to his side like old times. When she arrives, she discovers that David’s saved a seat between he and his co-host Killian Jones.

When she first met Killian, she’d found him charming and handsome, as she’s sure any woman might. He’d made her laugh, but she has a feeling he does that sort of thing with any girl, just trying to get into her pants. He’s just as superficial as anyone she’s ever met, so she doesn’t know what David sees in him to consider him a best friend.

David sneaks away from the table to grab something at the bar and she’s left alone for the first time with her brother’s co-host and a table full of people she doesn’t know. He must sense that she feels alone, because he clears his throat and gets her attention.

“So… how are you settling in?” Killian asks. He toys with the little paper napkin beneath his glass.

Emma shrugs. “Okay.”

Killian nods. “That’s good. That’s good.”

She glances away from him, feeling a little awkward.

Emma had decided to move to the city to be near her brother, something she swore she would never do as a rebellious teenager living on a farm in the boonies. She’d always thought she would make it out there in the world, that she’d be good at something- anything, really- and she’d have friends and she’d have someone she loved who loved her in turn.

But, real life is never as easy as it seems in daydreams.

Instead of finding herself successful in one of the twenty cities she’d lived in over the past few years, with friends, love, and happiness, she’d found herself struggling to find anything that made her happy at all. Her one relationship over the course of those twenty cities ended up crushing her heart, and the friendships she’d made were superficial.

So sitting at a table with David’s friends in a crowded bar isn’t really something she’s been looking forward to all day. In fact, she’d considered bailing out, but David had called her as she left work to make sure she was coming and he’d been so excited and happy that she was going to be there that she couldn’t just stay home.

Besides, she does have to argue herself, her apartment is empty and boring, and as much as she appreciates her roommate, she’s very quiet and likes keeping to herself more than Emma would like. She gets needing privacy, but this is a fresh start in a new city, so she’d like the chance to at least be friends with the person she’s sharing a living space with.

“Oh, Emma, I meant to ask you. Do you have your dress for the wedding?” Mary Margaret asks, breaking her silence. Emma looks down the table at the schoolteacher. “Because I could take you shopping tomorrow and we could grab some brunch at this cute little cafe I love after.”

Emma’s eyes widen slightly. She holds her mouth open for a second. Why did she move here again? Right. New city. New start. New friends. Getting along with David’s future wife.

“Um… no, I don’t have my dress yet. That sounds like it could be fun.”

As Mary Margaret starts rambling off plans and thoughts about her upcoming wedding, Emma finds herself glancing over at Killian. He’s talking with someone else, Robin she thinks his name is, and he has a tiny smile on his lips that widens on a laugh.

David returns to the table with a beer and slips into his spot between Emma and Mary Margaret.

“Honey, Emma and I are going shopping tomorrow.” Mary Margaret immediately fills him in.

“Oh yeah?” David grins at Emma. “That sounds like fun.”

Emma smiles past her brother at Mary Margaret. “Yeah.”

After a second to calibrate himself to the table, David glances over at Killian. “Hey, Killian, did you know Emma used to live in England?”

“Really?” Killian asks, clearly surprised.

Pushed into a bit of a corner, Emma turns to her brother’s best friend and shrugs a shoulder at him. “Yeah. I was there for a little while a few years ago.”

“No kidding.” Killian beams. “I grew up there. Moved here to be near my brother.”

There’s something in the glimmer in his eyes that she likes. She can’t quite put a finger on it yet, but it’s making her rethink her initial presumptions about who he is.

He has dark hair that matches the scruff on his cheeks, and his jaw is finely chiseled. He’s chosen to wear a plaid shirt with a white shirt, and it’s *** attractive, especially with the accent rolling off his tongue.

Killian’s eyebrow lifts and he runs his tongue slightly over his lower lip after having a sip of his drink.

“Sorta like me, huh?” Emma says teasingly.

He eyes David for a second and then laughs. “I suppose so.”

For a few long seconds, they stare at each other, both of them smiling just a little. She feels her heart flip in her chest as if she needs further evidence that she’s kind of attracted to him.

Memories of her last relationship flash through her mind in the nick of time and she looks away from him on a soft sigh, instead looking down the table at Mary Margaret and David, who are deep in a conversation with a pretty blonde friend of theirs, as well as Ruby, someone who lives in David’s building.

“So we’re having the wedding reception inside the hotel,” Mary Margaret says. “And it’s going to be so pretty you won’t realize you’re in a hotel conference center.”

David grins as he wraps his arm around his fiancée. The action makes Emma smile to herself. It’s so good seeing her brother so happy with Mary Margaret.

She’d always thought he would find someone in high school, that he’d be a farmer like their dad, but seeing him thriving here in a big city, with a kind woman to love somehow makes even more sense to her.

She hopes their wedding is everything they want it to be. Maybe even more.

///

At a certain point in the evening, after a lengthy discussion with Mary Margaret about wedding details in which Emma decides that her future sister-in-law has always wanted to be married and to have a wedding, Emma finds herself standing as far away from the group as possible.

It’s just a lot. She hadn’t realized how overwhelming a group of friends could be until now. She’s heard a lot of names, forgotten most of them, and she’s had to play catch up with at least a dozen stories that each of them have had to share about their days.

To her surprise, she’s not the only one who needs a break from the workplace woes and wedding frustrations currently being vented about at the table in the back of the bar. Killian joins her, now adorning a black leather jacket.

He throws his thumb over his shoulder. “You want to get out of here?”

While Emma knows better than to abandon her brother and his friends, she also would rather be at home with a pint of ice cream, watching Netflix curled up in her bed.

“Please.”

Killian grins to himself and she follows his lead out of the bustling bar. Once outside, she sighs with relief and Killian laughs softly.

“I know that sigh,” he says, shaking his head. “I usually duck out before Mary Margaret goes on her weekly rant about wedding trouble but lately it’s been a hell of a lot worse.”

Emma groans a little. “I never want to get married if planning a wedding is like that.”

Killian laughs through his nose. They begin to walk slowly up the sidewalk, away from the bar. With each passing step, she feels herself get more and more relieved.

“So how do you like it here in the city?” he asks.

Emma glances over at him. “It’s… busy. Very loud.”

Killian hums. “Aye. It is.”

She bites on her lip when her heart skips a beat at the way he’s looking at her. She could swear he’s trying to get her to crumble in his hands, as if she’ll succumb to his good looks and charm.

“How did you end up in radio?” she asks, finding herself genuinely curious.

He smiles sheepishly to himself and then at her. “Ah… I was a bit of a loudmouth in college and my girlfriend at the time coaxed me into helping her with a radio show she had for school one night when she was sick. I guess I got addicted to the high. Couldn’t stop after that.”

Emma hums.

“I’m lucky David agreed to host a show with me.”

She lifts an eyebrow. “He likes you. A lot.”

He shrugs the point. “Suppose it helps we’ve become close.”

It’s nice knowing David has a friend that he can share his time with. Killian seems like he’s a good guy, even if he gives off a dangerous vibe every so often when she looks at him.

They’re quiet for a little while, so Emma listens and watches the world around her. She catches the neon glow of an ice cream shop’s sign and glances over at Killian for a moment.

“You want to get ice cream?” she suggests.

He grins at her cheekily. “Sure.”

She smiles and looks ahead of herself, but then thinks better of it and looks back at him. “It’s not a date.”

“No,” he agrees, shaking his head with a furrowed brow.

He orders dark chocolate and she orders rocky road and they end up sitting near the window of the ice cream place while they eat their ice cream in a companionable silence.

The sounds of soft rock play over the radio above their heads and Emma hums with delight at the flavor of the treat as she has a bite from a spoon.

“Is it good?” Killian asks.

“Hmm. Yeah.”

Killian chuckles. He has a spoonful of his and sits back in his seat, legs spread slightly. He watches her eat and she feels a blush in her cheeks.

“What?” she asks, feeling self-conscious.

Killian shrugs. “Sorry. I just… David never told me about you. I suppose I’m curious.”

Emma licks her lips to clear them of ice cream and puts her hands in her lap. She shakes her head as her eyes meet his. She finds something honest when she hesitates long enough, a look she’s surprised to find coming from a guy like him.

“I guess it’s my fault he never mentions me.” Emma admits. She averts her gaze for a moment. “I ran away from home when I was sixteen.” She rolls her eyes at her own idiocy and digs into her rocky road again. “I was adopted. His parents are amazing. He’s an amazing brother. I just… didn’t feel at home.”

Killian’s posture and expression change. He frowns and leans forward a little. Before he can express sympathy to any degree, Emma shakes her head.

“Don’t feel sorry for me,” she insists. “I found my birth parents and they were awful so I’m glad I at least found the Nolan’s.” Emma plays with her spoon and shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe I can find a home here.”

She doesn’t usually tell her story to people. Especially not handsome people she might eventually feel anything for. But there’s something honest and genuine in the eyes of Killian Jones. She can now understand why David would find a best friend in him.

“Well,” Killian smiles softly, “I’m glad you’ve found some peace.”

Emma manages a smile in turn. “Yeah. Me too.”

“I suppose I know how you feel.” Killian says. “I lost my parents when I was young. My brother raised me.”

Her heartbeat quickens and she feels the familiar tug that accompanies the community that comes with being an orphan.

She manages a soft smile and he mirrors her. “Well, I guess we have more in common than I thought.”

///

Killian’s running a little late to work, but it’s not detrimental. The show’s going to start in half an hour, and they usually only arrive forty-five minutes in advance to debrief about the show.

When he enters his and David’s shared office, he immediately sets his things down and looks up, finding David grinning at him.

“Hey, buddy. How was your weekend?”

Killian, still a little out of breath from the hustle, nods. “It was good. Yeah. Rested up. Watched some new shows I’d been wavering about.”

David bobs his head. “Cool.”

Killian opens up his laptop as he has a seat. He enters his password and then initializes his browser. As he opens up his desk drawer for his notepad, he glances up and discovers David still smiling at him.

“Ah… how was your weekend, Dave? Get things sorted with the venue?”

“Yeah,” David says. “Everything worked out. Hey, did you have fun on Friday night?”

“It was fine.” Killian shrugs. He turns his attention to the computer screen so he can clock in. “As always.”

David hums. “I noticed you left the bar early-”

Killian grimaces, looking up at his friend. “Sorry, mate, I just… as much as I like Mary Margaret, I can’t handle the wedding talk-”

David frowns and shakes his head as he extends a hand. “Trust me, I wish I could have the luxury of leaving during those conversations, but… no, I mean- I saw you left with Emma.”

Killian stares at his friend blankly. His heart flutters in his chest. “Ah… yeah. We had ice cream and I walked her to her apartment.” Feeling as if he should add something that makes David feel better about his intentions with his sister, he adds, “She’s very lovely.”

His co-host grins. “Yeah. She is pretty amazing.” David closes his laptop and stands up. “Did you know she’s single?”

Killian pushes back from his desk and looks at his friend, eyes and mouth wide. “Uh… no, I didn’t.” Truthfully, he isn’t sure what all of this is about, but he imagines David might be concerned that his sister isn’t getting along very well in the city. “Not for long, I’d imagine, though.”

David’s smile gets wider, if it’s possible, and they walk out of the office toward Robin’s office.

“Hey, do you want to come over tonight? We’re having Emma over for dinner.”

“Uh…” Killian hesitates. He finds David looking at him with a desperate grin. “Sure, mate.”

David claps him on the shoulder. “Great.”

///

“Hey, Emma, do you have a date to the wedding?” David asks over his shoulder while simultaneously playing Killian at Fifa.

Killian finds himself glancing back to hear her answer. She’s standing in the connected kitchen with Mary Margaret while the pair cook dinner together. She’d been surprised to see him when he showed up about half an hour ago with David, but then again, she hadn’t had David talking him up in her ear all day like he had about her.

She’s beautiful, he must admit, with her hair in a ponytail that brushes against her backside as she worries over one pan and another. She’s dressed in jeans and a white top that reveals her muscular arms and her feet are bared as if she lives here.

“Uh…” Emma glances over at her brother. “No.”

David hums curiously. He turns to Killian and the game again.

After a moment of gameplay, David asks, “Killian, you don’t have a date either, right?”

Suddenly, the day’s events all make sense. He’s been hyping Emma up to him so he’ll ask her to go to the wedding with him.

Killian, more focused on the game for sake of embarrassment, holds his mouth open as he makes a goal on screen.

“No. I don’t have a date, Dave.”

David pauses the game and dramatically shifts on the couch so he can look at Emma. “Why don’t you guys go together?”

Emma narrows her eyes and tilts her head to the side on a skeptical frown. “Um…”

He can tell that the last thing she wants is to go to her brother’s wedding with him, so he straightens out and tosses his hand out.

“David, I think we have time to find dates to your wedding.” Killian says. “There’s, what, a month until the big day?”

“Thirty-six days,” Mary Margaret chirps up. “And I need to know if you’re bringing a plus one soon. I don’t want to order too much food.”

Killian sighs. He looks at his best friend and then over the back of the couch at Emma, who seems to be busying herself so she doesn’t have to think about the wedding.

“Yeah, we’ve got time,” he insists. “Sign me up for a plus one, Mary Margaret. If I don’t bring one, I’ll just eat two servings.”

Mary Margaret gives him a look that he just tosses off with his hand before turning to David.

“Are we going to play or-”

David seems just slightly upset that his devious plan didn’t work, but nods just the same.

It takes all of five seconds for his mood to be lifted again and it’s all because Emma has to say, “Oh, hey, David, I forgot. I need you to come over and help me fix something at my apartment. My shower is being weird and my super is actually a serial killer so…”

David pauses the game again, making Killian grit his teeth and close his eyes as the man turns back to look at his sister.

“Oh, well that stinks.” David frowns. Killian turns toward David in time to catch the twinkle in his eye. “Hey, Killian, do you have time tonight? I’d help Emma out but I have to go to the store-”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fine.” Killian pulls on an annoyed smile for David. He looks over at Emma and shrugs at her. “I’ve got plenty of weird shower experience so I’m sure we’ll get it fixed in no time.”

She mirrors his exasperated look and returns to her cooking.

“Thanks, Killian.” David says quietly. “I’ve been taking dancing lessons, but Mary Margaret doesn’t know.”

Killian almost doubts it, but he doesn’t say so aloud. Instead, he turns his attention to the screen again in time to be interrupted once more.

“Dinner’s almost ready, boys. Help me set the table please!”

///

Emma’s less than thrilled that David couldn’t be bothered to walk her home and fix her shower, but at least Killian seems to feel the same way.

They both walk toward her apartment in a slightly companionable silence.

Dinner had been interesting. David kept talking both of them up, acting as if Emma’s new job is the most glamorous thing in the world, while Killian, by all appearances, is the most giving and caring gentleman in the world.

“I’ve never seen David act like this before.” Emma admits to Killian. “Maybe it’s wedding stress manifesting itself.”

Killian laughs. He scrubs a hand over his scruff so it makes a gentle scraping sound. “Well, at least she still loves him.”

Emma hums a laugh.

The air is cooling down, reminding her of the months to come. She’s so glad it’s the fall. She loves the fall.

“If it means anything, David told me he’s taking dance lessons in secret. That’s why he couldn’t help you tonight.”

Emma looks over at her companion and her heart swells slightly. “They are so excited to get married. They want everything to be perfect.”

“As it will be.”

“Yeah. Hopefully.”

They stop at her apartment building and Emma sighs.

“Alright. I’m trusting you can work magic.”

Killian grins at her. “We’ll see what I can do, love. I’m only human.”

They take the stairs and by the time they reach her apartment door, she’s just a little tired. She unlocks the door and steps inside, holding it open for Killian to enter behind her.

The lights are off, so she flips them on. No movement or indication of life, but she doesn’t want to be known as a terrible roommate.

“Hey, I’m home. I have a friend.” Emma lifts an eyebrow when she doesn’t get a reply. She turns to Killian and shrugs. “I guess she went out.”

Emma peels out of her shoes and leaves them by the door. She lifts her eyebrows at Killian.

“You can leave your shoes by the door. And I can take your jacket.”

Killian does as he’s told. He removes his jacket and hands it to her. Their fingers brush and her heart skips a beat. She meets his eyes and her heart flutters again.

Killian smiles. He’s *** attractive in his white Henley. He rolls the sleeves up, revealing far too much muscle for her own good.

She clears her throat when she becomes just a little too distracted. “Um… this way.”

Emma rolls her eyes at herself and takes a steadying breath as she guides him toward the bathroom. Maybe it was all the chatter over dinner, but Killian Jones is suddenly making her question the way she’d thought things were.

“So do you want to go to the wedding together?” he asks.

She peeks into her bedroom and leaves his coat on her dresser near the door.

“Uh… I don’t know.” Emma hesitates. “I kind of just got out of a bad relationship.”

She meets Killian in the hall, both of them staring at the other.

He frowns. “Oh, well, I just meant… platonically. No funny business.”

Emma can’t help the laugh that slips past her throat. “No funny business? Okay, maybe.”

Killian smiles warmly. “See, you and I, we could be friends I think.”

“Yeah?” Emma bites on her lip. “Why’s that?”

“We understand each other. At least I think we do.”

Emma hums. She eyes him slightly. “The last guy that told me that abandoned me in a motel room we stole, so I don’t know if I trust you.”

Killian frowns again, looking as if he’d like to dig deeper into the subject, but she doesn’t. She guides him away from her room and toward the bathroom.

“So, this is it. The demon shower.”

She watches Killian flip on the light and as he seemingly takes matters into his own hands. He approaches the tub and peels back the curtain with gentle ease.

“The water pressure sucks,” Emma says. “I don’t know what you can do about that.”

Killian studies the shower head for a moment before he turns the water on and sends water streaming from the head itself. He groans as soon as the wimpy stream comes out.

“Well, sometimes, it’s the pipes and there’s not much that can be done about that from our position.” He admits. “But this seems like it could be a head problem.” He leans in close and narrows his eyes at the thing. “See how it’s leaking here?”

Emma steps closer at his gesture to come near and ends up standing in close proximity, their bodies brushing slightly as she tilts her head to look.

After confirming the leak with her own eyes, she cranes her head to look at him, this practical stranger in her bathroom, and finds the man clenching his jaw as he studies the showerhead as if it’ll bend to his desires if he wills it hard enough.

“Can you fix it?” she asks.

He looks down at her, blue eyes afire with teasing that his lips won’t betray. He shrugs and nods.

“Aye. Should be able to. Do you have some tools or shall we go for a shopping trip?”

Emma watches him turn off the water and winces. “Uh… gonna need to pick some up.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I have a free night.”

///

He persuades her to buy a new shower head, and it’s the most ridiculous thing, because they’re standing in the shower head aisle at the store and he’s talking about the shower head as if he knows every detail of every shower head ever.

“So, in your spare time you must fix a lot of broken shower heads.” Emma says casually.

She leans back against the sink in her bathroom about an hour after their shopping trip- complete with a stop at a hot dog stand because they both agreed dinner wasn’t nearly enough- and he’s standing in her shower, sleeves rolled up past his elbows, tinkering with her shower head.

He laughs, lifting an eyebrow. “Well, actually, I’ve fixed a few in my time.”

She watches him pull her old shower head off of the wall and he sets it down in the tub by his feet before grabbing the new one from where he’d set it on the toilet seat.

As she stares at him, she realizes she’s found herself just a little interested in who he is, and it bugs her because she really shouldn’t care at all. She’s told herself time and again that she’s not cut out for relationships, so naturally this should be no exception to the rule.

But maybe David’s recital of his resume of good deeds over dinner has her interest piqued. Just a little.

“Do you really spend your weekends volunteering?” she asks.

Killian glances over at her as his fingers work deftly on the shower. He grunts under his breath before he replies, “As much as I can. I figure it’s a good way to keep myself honest.”

Emma hums. “Crazy how you’re still single though. With your impressive resume. I mean, you work out, you fix shower heads, and you volunteer sometimes. Who wouldn’t want to go out with you?”

He pauses his action and looks up at her more before continuing through a sigh. “Well, apparently, you don’t.”

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. “I told you, I’m not in a great place right now.”

Killian takes his hands off of the shower head and leans over to pick up the old one. He steps out of the shower and wipes his forehead with his sleeve.

“Maybe none of us are.” He meets her eyes sadly before tossing her old shower head in the bathroom trash bin. “Would you like to do the honors?”

She’s caught up staring at him, wondering what the hell he means, so at first she’s confused by his question. She blinks a few times before he gestures to the shower and her eyes grow wide as she moves past him and to the shower.

It works beautifully, and not only that, this new piece includes a variety of settings that Killian had sold her with.

She grins as she looks over her shoulder at him. “It works.”

Killian scrubs his hands off in the sink as she turns the shower off. She turns back to him and awkwardly rubs her hand down her arm.

“Thanks. You’ve saved me from a lifetime of awful showers.”

He chuckles as he dries his hands off. “You’re very welcome, Emma.”

Emma meets his eyes again and not for the first time, she’s taken by how honest he is for not the first time since she’s known him. She has officially been proven wrong about Killian Jones.

“If you need anything else to be fixed, I believe you know where to find me.” Killian says when the silence gets too awkward.

Emma breaks out of her reverie and nods. “Yeah. Well, you could give me your number. That might help.”

He beams at her hopefully. “I suppose I could.”

She slips her phone out of her pocket and opens up a new contact. She hands him the device and tries to ignore the feeling she has tugging at her belly to just ask him to stay a little while longer.

“Well, don’t be afraid to text if you need anything.” Killian says as he hands her phone back to her. “I’ve been told I’m a good listener if you ever need to vent too.”

Emma smiles thankfully. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

///

“So the wedding is soon,” Emma smiles at her brother. “You getting nervous?”

David shakes his head. “No, if anything I’m just ready for it to be over so we can stop worrying about things and start living.”

She can’t help but smile at the sentiment. Things with he and Mary Margaret have been very chaotic with the days until the wedding coming closer and closer, so she understands his desire for it to be over.

They’re sitting together at a cafe for lunch, a location selected by David because he has to do cake testing here in a little bit with Mary Margaret.

It’s been a few weeks of living in the city and she’s found herself getting more and more used to the flow of things. She’s liked getting to hang out with David, even if most of their talks are wedding related, and she’s loved getting to know Mary Margaret.

She’s had a harder time adapting to work, but at least she has family here.

She also has, weirdly enough, Killian. They’ve started texting a lot lately. Mostly, they talk about David and cringe worthy things he’s been doing as an attempt to be wedding body ready. But sometimes, they share gifs nonstop, or they talk about the most random and irritating details of their day until they feel better.

He really is a good listener. And he’s almost unfairly really good at Words With Friends.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve had time to just talk.” David says with a pleasant smile. “How are you doing, Emma?”

“I’m good,” Emma replies. “I’m finally getting used to how things work around here. My roommate actually talked to me last night. That was kind of cool.”

David laughs. “You look happy, Emma. I was really worried for a long time that I’d never get to see you smile again. And I hated not getting to hit that idiot in the face for you.”

She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “I would have loved to see you do that.”

David wears the most serious look on his face. “If anyone hurts you, just say the word.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Emma says temperedly. She smiles a little and has another bite of her sandwich.

Her brother shifts in his chair. “So, are you making any friends?”

Emma nods, not really thinking. “Yeah.”

“Oh yeah? Who?”

She looks up and has a sip of her drink. “Um… some people at work. I really like Elsa from your friend group. She’s really nice.”

“She is.” David grins. He tilts his head at her. “Anyone else? Maybe a love interest on the horizon?”

Her heart skips a beat. Of course he’d ask about this. He’s obsessed with the idea of Emma and Killian getting together.

She sees him glance up behind her, recognition flickering in his gaze. He grins and waves his arm frantically.

“Killian!”

It’s as if this were a plan.

Emma turns around to find Killian walking toward their table. He looks totally calm and cool, even equipped with a pair of sunglasses.

He comes to stand by the head of their table and grins at both of them.

“Dave! Emma! What are you doing here? This is my favorite place for lunch.”

David laughs. “What a coincidence! Mine too.”

Somehow, Emma knows this isn’t true, but she doesn’t fight her brother, instead watching the way Killian steps out of the way when suddenly a rolling tray with pieces of cake arrives.

“Here are your cake samples.”

“Oh, thank you.” David smiles at the hostess. “They all look delicious.”

The woman smiles and nods before ducking away. David suddenly looks down at his phone in his hand and curses under his breath.

“You guys, Mary Margaret needs me to get her something.” He stands up and looks down at the cake. “You… do you guys think you could do this for me? Could you just sample the cakes and tell me which one is the best? I trust you. I’m not picky. Mary Margaret isn’t either.”

Emma opens her mouth to argue, but David’s already clapping Killian on the shoulder and rushing away from the table.

“I’ll be right back!” he calls out after he’s a couple of tables away.

Killian looks around for a second before sighing and sitting down across from her. “Well. Fancy seeing you here.”

Emma sighs heavily. “Yeah. Pretty fancy.” She watches him for a few seconds. “This isn’t really David’s favorite place to eat and Mary Margaret is deathly picky. Especially about her wedding. Clearly he’s trying to get us on a date.”

Killian nods in agreement. “Pretty much.” He pauses. “I cannot believe he’d subject me to the torture of sitting at a table alone with you for God knows how long.”

He frowns as if he were shrugging, cluing Emma into his sarcastic remark. She rolls her eyes and laughs softly.

They both fidget with their fingers in front of themselves and look around as if trying to avoid the inevitable. Emma nibbles on her lip and then looks at the cart of cake slices.

“Well, I think I’m going to have a slice of cake.”

She pulls a piece of vanilla cake off of the cart and Killian shrugs as he grabs for one of his own.

“So how are you doing today?” he asks as he takes David’s fork and examines it closely.

Emma cuts a bit of the cake and pops it into her mouth. “Ooh. I’m much better now.”

Killian lifts an eyebrow. “Really?”

Emma hums. She takes another bite and sighs, throwing her head back. “Okay, you have to try it.”

He reaches across the table to cut a tiny bit off of it. She watches him slide the fork into his mouth. Immediately, his eyes widen. “Bloody hell. That’s good.”

“Honestly. We don’t have to try any other pieces. This is the one.”

Killian nods and digs into his piece. He has a bite and tilts his head. “Oh, no, no. Try this. You’ll change your mind.”

She does as he requests and gives him a wide-eyed look. She turns to look at the building. “Okay, what the hell is this magical cake place?”

Killian chuckles. He shakes his head. “I don’t know, but I think we should try the other pieces. To be safe.”

“Right. Yes. To be safe.”

All of the cakes are equally as delicious, which makes it incredibly difficult to choose just one, but they eventually get it down to two and then both of them start trying to sell each other on both pieces equal amounts.

Long story short, they’re both in love with both pieces of cake.

“How is David not back yet?” Emma asks, looking around as if he’s just around the corner. “He should be making this call. It’s his wedding.”

Killian sighs. “I know.” For a few moments, they sit in utter misery, looking at the cakes and then at each other. Killian grins and shrugs. “We could just leave it here for him and get out of here before it eats us alive.”

Emma holds her mouth open and looks over her shoulder again for any sign of her brother. “I mean… it’s his fault we waited so long for him.”

“Exactly.” Killian agrees. “Besides, shouldn’t they have done this much sooner than now?”

“They should have.” Emma frowns. “Come on. We’re leaving.”

“And where are we going?”

Emma pauses. She shakes her head. “Anywhere’s fine.”

They rush out of the cafe and flag down a cab, all breathless and laughing as they climb into the backseat. It’s then that she realizes she doesn’t know where they’re going.

Killian speaks up, giving the address to a park she knows is nearby.

It doesn’t take them long to get there, and when they do, Killian pays for the ride as she climbs out.

“I figure we can wait it out.” Killian explains as soon as he stands with her on the sidewalk. “It’s a beautiful park, if you’d like to walk.”

Emma starts walking without replying. She finds the quietness of the park offset by her rapidly fluttering heart every time her fingers accidentally brush against his.

“Sometimes I wish I could fly,” Killian says suddenly.

Emma laughs out of surprise and turns to look at him. He’s staring up at the sky. A flock of birds streaks across.

“Why?”

He shrugs. “I think it would be sort of fun.”

She bites on her lip. “Yeah. It would.”

Killian grins at her response. They continue to walk slowly in silence for a little while.

She adores the way some of the leaves have started to change and smiles because of it.

“I love the fall,” she says. “I love the color of the leaves and the pumpkin and cinnamon flavored everything and wearing sweaters and getting ready for winter.”

When she looks up, Killian smiles fondly at her statement. “Autumn is a lovely season.”

Emma finds herself examining the way some of the leaves sway in the light breeze.

“I have a ship,” Killian tells her. “I go sailing on weekends. My brother and I sort of share custody of it.”

Emma meets his gaze. “Really?”

“Aye. It’s a beautiful ship.” He pauses, a slow smile spreading. “I suppose the reason I bring it up is because I want to take you to it. I think you’d like sailing.”

She lifts an eyebrow. “You do, huh? What gives you that idea?”

“You’d like the quiet. It’s very peaceful at sea.”

Emma takes a breath of the day. She’s almost ready to agree to go with him, but her phone rings and she digs into her pocket to retrieve it. “David.”

Killian looks disappointed, but nods. “As we should’ve expected.”

Emma hesitates to answer, knowing that if she does, the ship and sailing is entirely off the table and she’s kind of interested. She wants to see him in that environment. She wants to experience it.

But then she thinks of her last relationship, and as much as she wants to let go and let Killian in, she isn’t sure she’s ready.

///

David and Mary Margaret’s wedding is incredibly, remarkably beautiful. Every detail is perfect, just as Mary Margaret had tried so hard to ensure. There’s not a dry eye attending during pretty much the entire ceremony, David and Mary Margaret included.

Emma’s so happy for her brother and his new wife. She’s seen them plan this wedding so meticulously, but what really shines through during the event itself is their pure, undying love for one another.

And they’re so happy, too, like absurdly so. They keep smiling so brightly at each other, keep cherishing just about every little stare and kiss they share.

Her heart aches with longing as she watches them dance at the reception. Mary Margaret looks drop-dead gorgeous in her dress, something that proved just as much of a happy surprise as David having taken private dance lessons for this very moment.

They both have laughter on their lips as he spins her around, and then he holds her close and Emma knows it’s selfish, but she realizes she wants something like that.

She finds herself staring across the table at Killian, whose attention is on the newlyweds for a few moments before he turns toward her. His gaze is so soft that she nearly forgets her own rules about love.

///

“I tell David all the time that I don’t believe in The One,” Killian says to the assembled wedding guests. He stares at the happy couple seated beside him. “But when I look at you two, especially today, I can’t help but wish I was wrong.”

Everyone in the captive audience swoons over him, and if Emma were a stronger person, she might admit that his words ring true to herself as well.

He’s so charming, standing there delivering the best man’s speech. Emma laughs along with everyone else when he tells a couple of embarrassing stories, and her heart swells with the more serious, sweet things he has to say. He really is good at bringing all of the people in a room together.

As the night winds toward its peak, after a meal and cake and dancing with her newly acquired friends and David and their father, Emma watches from her table, a tiny smile on her lips, as David and Mary Margaret contentedly sway together to a sweet song.

They both look so happy and in love.

Jealousy burns in her belly, but she forces herself to ignore it. She’s not good at relationships and she probably doesn’t deserve happiness like they have together. She’s still trying to figure herself out, so there’s no space in her heart to learn someone else too.

“I think you’re the only one I haven’t danced with.”

She turns at the familiar voice, discovering Killian standing next to her. He looks handsome, with his suit jacket long discarded due to heat, revealing suspenders, and his bowtie hanging from his neck. He has messed up his formerly slicked down hair.

Emma tilts her head up at him.

“Would you like to dance with me, Emma?”

She holds her mouth open. “I… don’t have my shoes on. Is that going to be a problem?”

He shrugs. “We can work around that.”

He holds his hand out for her to take and she hesitates for a few moments. On a sigh, she accepts his extended hand. She secretly adores the calloused nature of his fingertips, and the warm way he caresses the back of her hand as he takes her to the dance floor.

She can’t help but feel the electricity under his touch when he slides his hand against her side. Her fingers press against his shoulder while their already connected palms straighten out, fingers holding each other tight.

When she meets his eyes, it’s only after their bodies drift close. Their noses almost bump when the breath is stolen from her lungs. Her heart starts racing so loudly she thinks he could probably hear it himself, but he’s kind enough that he doesn’t say anything.

He seems to come to a realization, just as she does, as they stand there in the longest seconds of her life before they begin to dance: there’s something growing between them.

Emma smiles just a little, finding comfort in the fact that he’s not sure what to do about this fact either.

And then, they begin to dance.

She can’t look away from him, too magnetized by the feeling blossoming in her chest. She finds herself glancing down at his lips and he does the same. The music certainly isn’t helping matters.

Finding herself caught too close for comfort she clears her throat. “So you dance too, huh?”

A smile pulls at his lips, big and then small, and he laughs breathlessly. “Aye. Yeah. I learned a long while ago.”

Emma nods.

She and Killian dance for a little while like this, eyes meeting intently under the dim glow of the lights in the reception hall.

She feels safe, wanted, and warm in his arms.

“Do you really not believe in The One?” she finds herself asking, genuinely curious.

Killian stares at her intently, and with pure honesty in his unwavering voice, he murmurs, “I… I’m starting to think I might be wrong about that.”

“Yeah.”

The song changes, but she finds that she doesn’t want to let go of him, to stop this dance. Maybe it’s this that changes her mind about the vulnerability of her heart, or the very nature of the day, but she finds herself thinking that she could stay like this forever.

All around them, people start jumping and flailing their arms, but they hold steady.

Emma presses her forehead against Killian’s and closes her eyes.

“The song is over,” he murmurs.

Emma brushes her nose against his. All she wants to do is kiss him, but she knows she shouldn’t. “I know.”

David and Mary Margaret are a lifetime away, but Emma remembers them enough that when she moves her hand away from his and instead wraps her arms around his neck, she leans in to whisper in his ear, “Meet me out by the pool.”

She slips away from him then, smiling to herself because of the completely and utterly wrecked look upon Killian’s face, and she makes her way toward the doors without bothering to grab her shoes.

///

The water is blessedly cool on her feet.

Her heels had been such a pain in her neck all day, but once she sat down at the end of the party, she’d pulled them off, desperate for even a little bit of relief. The pool does the trick, though. With her feet in the water and her skirts hiked up so they’re bunched together in her lap as she stares up at the stars, she finally can relax.

The air is warm and she hears the roll of the ocean’s tide nearby. She’s thankful David and Mary Margaret decided to have a destination wedding for this fact alone. It’s so beautiful here, with the warm air and the palm trees waving with the breeze. The sunset had been incredible, too, like none other. They truly couldn’t have asked for a better day for a wedding.

She glances over her shoulder when she hears someone approach. Her smile returns and she plays with the folded up fluff of the skirt of her dress.

Killian joins her at the water’s edge on a grunt. He settles her heels down beside her, something that tugs at her heart unexpectedly. She hadn’t anticipated him going after her shoes.

She watches him pull his shoes and socks off before rolling his pant legs up and dipping his toes into the water with a contented sigh. He leans back on his hands and stares up at the stars above.

“Bloody hell. What a day.”

Emma hums. She stares up at the stars alongside him. It’s almost as if they’re a whole world away while they’re here. The city and it’s noise is long gone, and she can hear herself think.

Mostly, she’s thinking about Killian and how she likes him more than she wants to admit to herself.

Her toes wriggle under the water and she turns to look at Killian as she stirs the water slightly enough to splash up to his knees with it.

He looks back down at her and she finds him staring at her lips again for only a moment before his eyes flicker up back to hers.

“You look beautiful,” he tells her. He pulls his hands off of the cement patio they’re sitting on so he’s sitting upright.

Emma takes the compliment as honest as any of his compliments to her have ever been. Her heart skips a beat. “Thank you. I like this dress. It’s very breathable.”

Killian laughs. “Yeah?”

She giggles. She can’t help herself. “Yeah. It is.” She moves her hands off of the ground and presses them together against her skirt. “I… think I have to apologize to you.”

He furrows his brow worriedly. “What for?”

Emma takes a deep breath and releases it. “Because when I met you I thought you were the kind of guy who goes from girl to girl and doesn’t have a serious bone in his body.” She studies him. “But I was wrong. You’re not like that.”

He smiles slightly and looks away from her.

“I used to be.”

Emma tilts her head toward her shoulder. “But you’re not now.”

He is so much more like her than she thought. She thinks back over their encounters and conversations, finding that she looks at him with more fondness now that she knows just how good he is.

Emma grabs her shoes and moves them to the other side of her. She slips closer to him, enough that their legs bump in the water, and he looks up at her.

They don’t need to speak, so they don’t. She reaches in to brush his hair away from his eyes and then she drags her fingertips against his cheek. She feels her breath catch when she realizes she could kiss him.

His eyelashes flutter against his cheeks and his breathing stops when she leans in close enough that the tips of their noses touch. Her eyes fall shut and she steadies herself before she presses her lips against his.

At first, he kisses her back gently, as if worried she’ll recoil. After a moment, she leans back to look him in the eyes, and instead of feeling fear and dread, she gets excited. A happy smile lifts the corners of her lips and she finds him react the same way.

They laugh into a second kiss that lasts for what feels like forever. A wonderful, beautiful forever.

Emma presses her forehead to his as she catches her breath and she meets his eyes.

“I like you.” she tells him in a whisper. Her heart jumps at her own admission to him.

Killian’s eyes are bright and he searches her eyes as he searches for the right words. He shakes his head slowly. “I adore you.”

It’s all she needs to dive in and kiss him again, this time desperate.

///

The pan sizzles when he pours the pancake batter into it.

He’s deliriously tired, but he thinks it’s well worth while, because he’s more than content and blissful, even at five in the morning on a Monday. The reason for that comes shuffling out of his bedroom, wearing only his favorite plaid shirt and her hair gloriously messy, parted improperly and hanging over her shoulders.

She smiles tiredly at him and slips into the space behind him so she can drag her arms up under his and she presses a kiss to the space between his shoulder blades before she sighs and rests her cheek there.

She’s perfectly adorable in the mornings, come to find out. He adores the way she wears his clothes and how she fits in his daily routine as if she’s always been here.

“Why do you have to get up so early?” she complains.

Killian chuckles and turns in time to catch her when she tucks herself under his arm and wraps hers around his middle.

“The cost of early morning radio shows, I’m afraid.”

Emma sighs. She looks up at him and he thinks she’s as sweet as can be, so he kisses the tip of her nose and then her lips.

“There’s coffee.”

Her eyes brighten at the thought and she sneaks by him to go to the machine on his counter. He’d already set out the mug she’d got during their time at David and Mary Margaret’s wedding, something he knows she likes.

“So today David’s coming back from vacation.” Killian mentions.

Emma licks her lips after having a sip of coffee. She goes to the counter and climbs up onto the barstool there.

“Ah, the dreaded day is finally here.” Emma sighs.

It’s been about two weeks of this beautiful bubble. They’ve spent a lot of time together, happier than ever, and while Killian has his concerns over whether or not they’ll make it, he knows he wants to try, and so does Emma.

Killian flips the pancake in the pan and then turns to look at Emma. “Are we going to tell him he was right about us?”

Emma snorts into her mug and then shakes her head. “He’ll lose it. Especially if he knows it was at his wedding. The thing he’d been planning for months and months. The thing Mary Margaret had been waiting her whole life for. It was supposed to be their day, so if it suddenly became ours too…”

He gestures to her with the spatula. “See, I knew there was a reason I like you.”

She laughs and her cheeks turn pink. “I just think we should wait it out a little. See how things go with us before we tell anybody.”

Killian shuts the stovetop off and flips the last of the pancakes onto a plate for Emma. He brings it to her and comes alongside her to kiss her temple.

“I completely agree.”

Emma digs into the drawer for a pair of forks and hands one to him. He turns to go look for the syrup in the cabinets and finds it. He joins Emma at the counter island.

“Besides, you’re his best friend. I’m his sister. There’s a whole dynamic.”

Killian takes a deep breath. For the first time, worry stirs within him. “Aye. A whole dynamic.”

///

When Killian arrives at work, it’s with mixed feelings. While he’s glad David’s back, because he’s had to deal with hosting a show with Robin and it’s been less than exciting, he also carries with him a secret. One that potentially could cause a change in their relationship.

He’s dating David’s sister.

He’s not just dating David’s sister. He’s sleeping with her.

Bloody hell. This isn’t going to end well, is it?

Regardless of the fact that initially David had seemed so desperate to get he and Emma together, that time has seemingly gone and passed. David had gone on his honeymoon without another attempt at pushing them together, and maybe it was because of that that they are.

He steps into his office and immediately grins at the discovery that David’s sitting in his chair, looking as peaceful and laid back as ever before.

“Hey! There he is!” Killian cheers. He sets his things down on his desk and goes to his friend, who beams at him as he goes in for a tight hug.

“It is so good to be back.” David says happily.

“How was it?” Killian asks as he takes a step toward his desk again.

David shakes his head. “Oh, it was beautiful. We had the best time. And I’m glad we took a few days off after too because we definitely needed it. There’s nothing like sleeping in your own bed.”

Killian hums in agreement. “Well, I’m glad you had a good time.”

He switches on his computer and pulls open his email account.

“So what’d I miss? Anything fun happen while I was gone? You find a steady girlfriend? You see Emma at all?”

David’s so excited that it almost feels like he somehow knows about he and Emma, but logically, he couldn’t, so Killian pushes that fear aside and instead smiles at his friend.

“Ah… nothing terribly exciting.” He releases a sigh. “I spent a lot of time re-organizing things at my place. Watched some more stuff I’ve been backlogging on Netflix. Found a great little coffee place.” He shrugs, knowing these things are true. Mostly thanks to Emma. “You know, just the usual stuff.”

David hums curiously. “How about the show? How’s that been?”

Killian laughs. He shakes his head. “Robin’s definitely not you, mate. You’ve been sorely missed. Callers everyday wondering when you’d be back.”

It boosts David’s self-esteem all the way until they get into the recording room ready to start the program.

“Good morning! It’s seven o’clock and you’re listening to The Charmed Morning Show on 90.2 FM.” David grins against his microphone. “I’m David, as always joined by my dashingly handsome co-host Killian.”

“It is so good to have you back.” Killian can’t help but grin. “You’ve been dearly missed.”

David laughs. “It is  _so_  good to  _be_  back, man.”

“How’s married life treating you, mate? Give us an update.”

For a second, he stalls over finding the right words. “It’s amazing.”

“Yeah?”

“Much better than wedding planning.”

Killian chuckles. “Well, you’ve almost turned me into a believer, I’ll tell you that.”

David’s eyes widen. “You know, we have a pretty big audience. We could find you somebody today if you wanted.”

His stomach flips. He grimaces and shakes his head. “Ehhhh, you know, I’d rather just find somebody the old fashioned way.”

“No, no,” David says. “Listen, Killian, you set me up with my wife, so it’s time I find you one. Call in now if you or somebody you know might be a good match for my good friend Killian.”

He rambles off the number and then allows the program to continue. He grins at Killian.

“You’re about to find someone,” he says. “I can feel it.”

“Mate… I get that it’s good for our ratings, but I don’t know what it is about you finding me someone. I don’t need that.”

David smiles with a look in his eyes that radiates wisdom. “Well, if none of the people that I know have worked, then maybe your One is out there in the world. She could be listening to our show today. You never know, Killian. I think we have good chances here.”

Killian hesitates, but for sake of not blowing his and Emma’s secrecy, he manages a smile and sucks in a deep breath. It’ll be a long day, that’s for sure.

///

“So he had people call in and I had to sit there for three hours listening to people try and persuade me to go out with them.” Killian complains as they sit in the back of a cab on their way to David and Mary Margaret’s.

It’s their first time going to David’s since the wedding, and since it’s the first official get-together after the wedding, everyone’s been invited for dinner. Emma already knows it will be awkward and full of freshly married bliss, but she’s missed her brother so she can’t wait to go see him again.

She grimaces at Killian’s story. “Well, I can kind of understand his reasoning, but…” Emma shakes her head, a wry smile finding her lips. “You already have a girlfriend.”

It’s the first time she’s called herself his girlfriend, but she feels that it’s appropriate. They’ve been doing really well together, despite any misgivings she might have felt about committing to a relationship right now. He makes it easy and he makes her feel like she can do anything she sets her mind to.

A blush crawls up Killian’s neck toward his cheeks and he grins slowly. He presses his hand against her thigh and squeezes.

“While true, your brother is unaware of that tiny detail.”

Emma takes his hand from her leg and holds it. She looks outside briefly and then at him again. “Do you want to just play hooky and say we each got sick and couldn’t come?”

Killian laughs. “Don’t think that would sell very well, darling.”

She sighs and leans her head against his shoulder. He kisses the top of her head and her stomach flips.

“I adore you.” Killian whispers.

Emma sits up and meets his eyes again. “I know.”

She feels peaceful and happy, knowing he likes her so much. It doesn’t mean she’s not jealous of the people who called in this morning, though.

She’d listened to the show, just a little interested in knowing what David and Killian’s chemistry would be like post-honeymoon. And she’d listened for caller after caller, hearing people try their best pickup lines and blush-worthy dialogue.

Killian has practically the pick of the world but he chose her. She’s not sure how she feels about that.

When they get up to the party, they act as if they’d bumped into each other in the lobby, something David totally buys, and then they’re inside, mingling with friends as David and Mary Margaret play host and hostess.

“Emma, you look lovely.” Mary Margaret says as she approaches her friend.

She blushes, looking down at herself. “Oh, uh… thanks.”

Mary Margaret grins. “You look happier than usual. Anything going on?”

Emma’s jaw falls open and she forces herself to not look over at Killian who stands just nearby. It hits her that this is their first outing together trying to keep it a secret from all of their friends.

“Um… no. I’m just happy I guess.” She shrugs and smiles at Mary Margaret. “How are you doing? It’s been a while.”

“It has!” she gasps. “Well, the honeymoon was amazing. We had the best time. I’m glad to be home, though. I’ve missed everyone.”

Emma hums. “Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but I’ve missed you too.”

Her new sister-in-law reaches out to hug her tight. “Oh, you know what? I meant to set you up before the wedding, but I had so much on my mind.” Mary Margaret leans back. “I have a friend. His name is Walsh. I think you’d be great together.”

Again, Emma struggles to not tell her friend the truth.

“Who would be great together?” Killian asks, ever her saving grace.

Mary Margaret laughs. “I was just telling Emma I had a guy I could set her up with.”

Killian lifts his eyebrows, clearly surprised at the conversation topic.

“You know, Mary Margaret, I think I just want to keep figuring out who I am right now.” Emma tells her. “Thank you, though. I appreciate it. You’ll be the first one I go to when I’m ready to start dating again.”

Mary Margaret smiles. “Of course. And I totally understand.”

“Hey, did you guys hear that Ariel and Eric hooked up at your wedding?” Ruby asks, completely interrupting the moment Emma had been having with her new sister.

Mary Margaret’s eyes go wide as Emma’s stomach clenches. She looks up at Killian warily.

“Ariel and Eric?” Will asks. “You mean those two finally stopped messing around and went for it?”

“What?” Mary Margaret asks. “At our wedding? What?”

Ruby nods. “Yeah, I guess they got to talking and now they’re a thing.”

Mary Margaret doesn’t seem to know what to do with this information. She looks over at David. “But… it was-”

“You know what,” David interrupts, clearly catching onto the train of thought his wife is headed down. “It was bound to happen anyway. People hook up at weddings all the time.”

Emma finds herself breathing a sigh of relief. Maybe it won’t be terrible when they tell people, will it?

“No, but David, it was  _our_  wedding. I had this whole wedding planned and it was  _beautiful_. For us.” Mary Margaret shakes her head, clearly still trying to wrap her mind around this. “It was our wedding. Nobody was supposed to get together at our wedding.”

Or maybe it will be terrible.

“Honey, you can’t-” David tries.

Mary Margaret’s breathing harder now through slightly gritted teeth. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s fine. It was just… our wedding day and Ariel and Eric’s special day too.” She releases a deep breath and pulls on a thin smile, a look she’s perfected throughout the years. “Sorry everyone. I just… had a picture in my head about what our wedding day was and it’s a little different now, but it’s okay. I guess.”

She can’t say she blames Killian for wandering to the other side of the room for the rest of the evening and avoiding contact with her.

///

Killian is soft and warm when he presses her back against her front door to kiss her. Emma’s fingers press lightly against his scruff and a smile finds her lips.

He leans back and grins at her as she feels for the key in her hand.

“Hi,” he whispers.

“Hi.” Emma grins. She kisses him again before she turns to unlock the door. “We need to watch at least an hour’s worth of Netflix to recover from that party.”

Killian chuckles into her ear. His arm is wrapped tight around her middle, holding her close. He nuzzles his nose into her hair and leaves a kiss to the side of her head before pulling back so she can open the door.

“I wouldn’t mind that.”

They toe out of their shoes together at the front door and Emma flips on the light. Apparently, her roommate is gone for the evening.

She locks the door behind her and goes to the kitchen for a glass of water.

“Grab me one too?” Killian asks, already on his way to her bedroom to set up the television.

“Yeah.”

She has two glasses of water in her hands and she takes them to her room as quickly as she can. Killian’s sitting up in her bed, remote in hand while the soft glow of the television brightens the space.

He looks so at home amongst her pillows, it’s kind of insane. He has his favorite one behind his back, and he’s already turned on her bedside table lamp that illuminates the framed picture of the two of them he’d taken while they finally took a ride on his ship together. It’s a beautiful memory to wake up to every morning.

Emma hands him his water and has a sip of hers. She hops up into her bed with him and cuddles close, her knees bumping his as she gets comfortable. He flips the next episode of what they’re watching on and she grabs their favorite throw blanket to cover their legs as the opening titles roll.

After he takes her water from her to set it beside his on her nightstand, his arm goes around her so she can rest her head on his shoulder. She feels his lips brush against the top of her head and smiles softly, snuggling closer to him. She takes a deep breath so the smell of him can comfort her and take her out of the memories she has of the party just a little while ago.

“Do you know that these two weeks have been my favorite two weeks ever?”

Emma grabs the remote to pause the show. She turns to him and narrows her eyes. “ _Ever_?”

He smiles like a complete dork. “Ever. I swear.”

Emma laughs softly. Her teeth dig into her lower lip. “These have been my favorite two weeks ever too. I’m glad we’re together.”

He smiles from ear-to-ear and she laughs when he pinches her side. She leans in and kisses him.

In the moments after, she stares into his eyes, her fingers in his hair. Guilt over keeping their relationship a secret stirs in her belly. “Should we tell David and Mary Margaret?”

Killian sighs. “I don’t know if you were there tonight, but telling them might end their marriage.”

Emma snorts. “I doubt it.”

“I don’t know,” he admits, shaking his head. “Part of me thinks we should. Just to be honest with everyone. And so we can be honest with ourselves about this too.”

Her heart flutters. “Yeah.”

Killian frowns as he searches her eyes. “But I don’t want to ruin what we have either.”

“Yeah.” Emma sighs. She snuggles closer to him and rests her head against his shoulder. “I guess we can wait. Just a little while longer.”

Killian takes a breath of her and kisses the top of her head. “As you wish.”

///

He asks her on a date, which is adorable considering they’ve been dating for a month now.

He makes her heart flutter and her knees weak. That’s how she knows she likes him more and more with every passing day, because he manages to steal her breath away with the simplest words or actions, and he never once betrays her feelings.

He picks her up at six in a fancy suit and she wears a dress that makes her feel pretty. He gives her flowers and kisses her cheek hello. He won’t tell her where they’re going and she doesn’t know until they get there.

The whole experience has her giddy and excited, as if this is their first date all over again after a full month of secretly being together.

“Well, this is nice.” Emma says as he holds out her chair for her to sit.

He has the dumbest smile on his lips, as if to say ‘yes I know’ and he lifts an eyebrow while he sits down across from her. The waiter hands them their menus and then slips away after saying he’ll be back in a moment.

“I told you I could pull off a bold romantic gesture.”

Emma smiles and almost responds, but before she can, she happens to glance behind her boyfriend- and straight at David sitting at a table with Mary Margaret.

Her joy fades in an instant and she curses under her breath. “David and Mary Margaret are here.”

Killian’s expression falls. “What?”

“They’re behind you.” Emma says lowly. “I think we can get-” She cuts herself off when she notices her brother staring at them. “Crap. He sees us.”

Emma has only a few seconds to brace herself. She pulls on a fake smile when David stops at the head of their table.

“Hey! What are you guys doing here?” he asks, then, clearly noticing their attire, “Dressed up like that?”

Emma laughs, encouraging Killian to do the same.

“Oh, we’re just… hanging out.” Emma smiles. “You can’t really come to this restaurant dressed down, can you?”

David looks skeptical, but continues smiling. “Well, that’s true.”

“We do stuff like this all the time.” Killian says. “Sort of a friendly outing between friends.”

Emma hums enthusiastically. She bobs her head. “Yeah. And, you know, we’re not even here by ourselves.”

She looks at Killian and he holds his mouth open, trying to think of anyone that could be here with them.

“Right. Yeah, Liam’s on his way. We’re just a bit anxious to get the appetizers started.”

David still seems incredibly wary. He nods slowly. “Oh, okay. Well, it was nice seeing you. Mary Margaret and I are just over there-” He gestures toward Mary Margaret and Emma waves kindly when her sister does. “Thought I’d see what this was all about.”

Emma laughs politely. “Yeah. Nothing to see here.”

“Absolutely nothing.” Killian confirms. “I’d never even think of dating your sister.”

Emma rolls her eyes and fake gags at the idea. “Yuck! Gross. He’s just a friend.”

They all laugh, even David, who shrugs his shoulders. “Alright. Well, enjoy your dinner, then, guys. It’s cool you’re doing this. I like seeing my best friend and my sister getting along.”

Emma forces a big smile. “Yeah. It’s nice.”

“Have a nice evening!” Killian calls after David.

As soon as David’s sitting at his table talking to his wife, Emma’s eyes go wide and she leans in close to Killian.

“Oh my God.”

“Yeah.” Killian shakes his head. “What the hell are we doing?”

“I have no idea.” Emma says in a whisper. She’s still shaken up from the interaction with her brother. Her fingers tremble slightly where she has them in her lap. “We have to invite Liam to dinner. Get on that, please.”

Killian grimaces, but pulls his phone out of his pocket. He brings the device to his ear. “Hey, Li. I need a quick favor. Well, you know how I said I was bringing my lady for an anniversary dinner?”

Emma smiles sadly at her boyfriend as he ends the call.

“He’ll be here in twenty minutes, give or take with traffic.”

She suddenly isn’t so hungry, but the waiter comes for their order, so she picks the first thing she looks at and smiles when the man brings a spare chair to their table for Liam.

He arrives when their appetizers do and as soon as he sits down, he grins at both of them. “Emma. I had no idea you were the lady in question. How wonderful.”

She grins at him. “Yeah. Thanks for coming.”

“Not a problem, Emma. I will do just about anything for a free meal.”

Emma meets Killian’s eyes as Liam flags the waiter down to order.  He smiles slightly and lifts his glass toward her.

“Happy anniversary, love.”

///

_Emma: Look at this gif I found!_

_Emma: I want a puppy._

_Emma: Oh no look at this one too!_

_Emma: Talk me down Jones or I’ll be getting a puppy and keeping it at your place._

Killian can’t help but smile at the texts that come in while he and David are on a brief song break. He quickly types out a reply.

_Killian: I was kind of thinking about getting a dog…_

David wears a playful smile on his lips when Killian looks up at him.

“What’s all that about?”

“What’s all what about?” Killian plays dumb.

David tosses his hand toward Killian’s phone. “You know. The texting. The smirking. The quiet laughter you think I can’t hear.”

Killian’s mouth goes dry. He shakes his head and shrugs. “It’s nothing. Liam was just… texting me pictures of something on the ship.”

David hums. A chill runs down Killian’s spine at the suspicious look on his face. He dares to lift his phone to text Emma discreetly as possible.

_Killian: I think he knows._

David rambles off the title of the song and artist as Killian sets his phone down. He pulls his headphones on.

“So what are your weekend plans, Killian? Anything fun planned?”

He audibly considers this. “Well, I might get a dog.”

“Really?” David asks, surprised. “Huh. What kind?”

Killian shrugs. A smile spreads on his face as he speaks. “Maybe a… golden retriever puppy?”

///

“He is so sweet,” Emma murmurs. She’s holding the new puppy in her arms, lips pressed against his soft golden ears. She turns toward Killian and smiles. “Thank you.”

Killian smiles in turn, his heart full at the sight of Emma holding the puppy so affectionately. “You know I can’t say no to you, love.”

She gives him a look. “A puppy is a big deal. You didn’t have to say yes to a puppy, Killian.”

“I know,” he says. “But look at him. He’s a good pup.”

Emma hums. She kisses his head a few times before she bends down to let the puppy out of her arms and onto the floor.

“So David knows.” Emma says, breaking her silence on the matter for the first time all evening.

Killian sighs. “Well, I think he does. He at least knows something’s going on, and with all of the evidence we’ve given him, I should think he’s smart enough to deduce enough.”

Emma throws her head back and groans. “Okay, so he knows.”

She goes to him, wrapping her arms around his middle where they stand in his apartment.

“Do you want him to know?” Killian wonders.

He can tell she’s worried. She has an adorable knit in her brow, and she frowns deeply. “I don’t know. David was trying to get us together before the wedding. Maybe he’d be okay with it.”

Killian sighs heavily. “He’s my best friend. I’m dating his sister. I don’t know. It seems as if he might change his mind on us, darling. Once he realizes, you know…” He tosses his head to the side and squeezes her hips. “You’re staying over and… I’ve seen things.”

Emma laughs. She drags her fingers up into his hair from behind his head and scratches gently at the nape of his neck.

“Yeah.” Emma sighs. She smiles sweetly. “But I like you and I want this to work. That’s what matters, right?”

Killian still can’t believe she likes him. That she’d stay with him after a whole month. It’s been the best time, getting to know Emma Nolan, and he knows she feels the same about him.

“Aye.”

Emma nibbles on her lip. “But you know, it would be fun if we played with this whole thing. David and Mary Margaret don’t know that we know that they know… we could freak them out a little about what’s going on with us.”

He cracks a wide grin. “Do you have ideas?”

She shrugs wryly. “I have a few.”

///

“You’re listening to 90.2 FM. I’m Killian. This is my best mate, Dave.” Killian grins against his microphone. “It’s officially autumn, David. Did you know that? First day today.”

“I did not know that!”

“Aye,” Killian grins. “I quite like fall. Something about the trees and the coziness. Don’t you?”

“I do. I love the colors of the trees this time of year.”

Killian hums. “Well, it being the start of a new season, I thought I’d open the phone lines up to the listeners again. What say you call in and help me  _fall_  for you?”

David looks surprised. He frowns. “Wait, what? Why?”

“Why not, Dave? I thought you wanted me to believe in love. To find The One out there in the world. Perhaps she’s listening right now, thinking that if I look as good as my voice sounds, well…”

David’s jaw falls agape. He’s practically scandalized, but clearly fighting with his instinct to protect his sister, whom he knows is seeing him.

“Well, alright. I guess we can open up the phone lines if it means you find someone that can handle your awful puns.”

They go to a song and ad break, which gives them time to remove their headphones. David immediately turns to him.

“So you’re embracing finding The One, huh?”

Killian hums. “I just figure… it’s been a while. I deserve happiness like you and Mary Margaret share.”

David nods slowly. “Oh. I see.”

“Don’t worry, Dave. I won’t go on any dates unless you approve.” Killian grins. He claps David on his shoulder. “I’ve got to go grab a snack. Want something?”

“No, no, I’m fine.” David forces a smile.

Killian lifts his eyebrows and quickly moves out of the room with a grin. He pulls his phone from his pocket to text Emma.

_Killian: Our evil plan seems to be working!_

_Emma: Muahahaha!_

///

She sits on Killian’s kitchen island while he fixes them dinner, something she watches as she scrolls through Facebook on her laptop.

He’s awfully handsome, with his hair ruffled and his apron on. She finds that in the quiet moments, her heart can hardly handle the fact that she’s able to call him hers.

Suddenly, her computer starts ringing and Facetime opens up. Her eyes widen.

“Crap. No. Oh, no.” Emma scrambles off of Killian’s kitchen counter and hurries out to a blank wall where she stands, forcing a smile as she answers the video call. “Hey!”

“Emma!” Mary Margaret grins. She frowns slightly. “Where are you?”

“My apartment.” Emma says quickly. Her sister’s eyes widen in understanding.

“I thought you might have been out or at work still. But good. We caught you at a good time!”

Emma watches Mary Margaret wave David over and sighs slightly. “Hey, big brother. How are things?”

“Good.” David says, smiling. “We wanted to invite you over for dinner tonight.”

Emma’s mouth falls open and she shakes her head. She glances into the kitchen, where her boyfriend glances back at her with a frown. He shakes his head and gestures to the pan in his hand.

Emma looks back at the screen and frowns. “That’s so nice of you. I just ate though.”

“***,” David sighs. “Alright. Well, tomorrow then. We’d like to catch up. It’s been a while.”

Emma nods. “Yeah.” She thinks about her brother’s proposal. “Um… okay. I can do tomorrow night.”

David smiles. “Great. Are you… how are you doing?”

Her brother seems worried, but he won’t say what for. He wears that look he gets when he’s trying to help her feel better, even though she doesn’t need it.

She manages a smile. “Good.”

“You sure?” David asks. “I could swing by. We could watch a movie. Maybe I can bring some ice cream.”

Emma laughs. “Yeah, I’m sure I’m good. You don’t have to stop in. I’m fine.” She stares at the screen. David frowns. “Um… I actually have to get going. I look forward to tomorrow though.”

Her brother sighs as if he’s been defeated. “Alright. Bye Emma.”

“Bye.” Emma waves.

She hangs up the call and goes into the kitchen area again with the puppy on her heels. She smiles at the dog and leans over to scoop him up into her arms after she puts her laptop down.

“So tomorrow I’m having dinner with David and Mary Margaret.” Emma tells Killian.

Killian’s phone chirps from nearby and she glances at it.

_David: Hey, you free for dinner tomorrow night?_

“Oh, looks like you are too.”

Killian frowns. He’s busy cutting up vegetables, so he can’t answer his phone. Emma sets the dog down and goes to the sink to scrub her hands clean so she can help.

When she moves alongside Killian, she grabs a knife and he hands her a pepper to slice.

“Do you think it’s an intervention?” Emma asks.

Killian sighs. “I have no idea.”

///

Emma arrives to dinner after Killian does, only because he’d gone straight over from work with David. She’s carrying a box of cupcakes, because she figures bringing something is the right thing to do when you’re going to your own intervention.

As soon as she steps inside, the mood is more evident than ever. It’s warm, but very quiet. Not even soft music penetrates the airspace. David and Mary Margaret are waiting for her in the entry hall while Killian lingers back in the dining area.

“Emma, we’re so glad you’re here.” Mary Margaret says as she reaches in for a hug.

Emma smiles a little. “Yeah, I’m glad to be here. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a chance to catch up.”

Emma leans away from the hug and steps out of her shoes at the door, finding Killian’s already here.

“Oh… Killian’s here?” she plays the part of the fool.

Mary Margaret and David both get a somber look on their faces. They exchange a glance and Mary Margaret pulls on a smile.

“Yes. He’s here. I hope you don’t mind.”

Emma shakes her head. “No, it’s fine.”

Emma hands David the cupcakes when he extends a free hand and she takes her leather jacket off. She hangs it up by Killian’s and follows the newlyweds toward the dining room.

“So dinner’s all ready.” Mary Margaret says. “We’re having your favorite. Grilled cheese with onion rings.”

Emma furrows her brow. “Oh. That’s… you didn’t have to do that.”

She steps into the dining room and smiles at Killian. He seems shaken up ever so slightly.

Mary Margaret guides Emma to a seat opposite Killian and then has a seat beside her. David returns from the kitchen with a pitcher of lemonade and sits down beside Killian.

“Lemonade, Killian?” he asks, breaking the awkwardly stiff tension in the air.

“Oh, yes. Please. Thank you.”

David pours a glass for his best friend and Emma reaches for a half of her sandwich from the plate in front of her. She has a bite that Mary Margaret watches.

She pulls on a smile and nods. She gives Mary Margaret a thumbs up. “Very good.”

Mary Margaret wears a tiny smile on her lip in relief and turns to her plate. The silence is deafening. Emma swears she’s chewing much louder than she actually is.

She catches Killian’s gaze and he silently lifts his eyebrows and widens his eyes in a sort of scream. She smirks to herself, not wanting to interrupt the dead quiet that’s for some reason the theme of this dinner.

“Oh, I can’t handle this awful silence anymore.” Mary Margaret speaks up hurriedly. She pivots in her seat. “Emma, Killian, we know.”

Emma’s eyes widen. Her stomach flips. “What do you know?”

Mary Margaret looks across the table at her husband.

David clears his throat and sits upright, a sorrowful look on his face. “That you guys got together and broke up.”

“And we feel awful about it,” Mary Margaret says. “We feel like it’s our fault this happened.”

Emma looks at Killian and both of them can’t hold it in any longer. They start to laugh. Their evil plan had worked, but not quite the effect they’d wanted. Just the same, it’s hilarious that David and Mary Margaret would ever think that their separating would ever be their fault, or that they’d break up to begin with.

Feeling left out, Mary Margaret and David start to laugh too.

“No, that’s not exactly what happened.” Killian says.

“It’s not?” David asks. He still wears a worried look on his face while he comes off of his fake laughter. “But you got a puppy, as if that were going to mask the pain of losing her.”

Emma almost bursts out laughing. Her eyes widen instead and she shakes her head. “No… that’s…”

“Well, what happened?” Mary Margaret asks.

Emma takes a breath as she stares at her boyfriend. He doesn’t say anything, as if wanting this to come from her. She is the sister, after all, and it might come easier from her.

“Well, um, we’ve been dating for a while. And we didn’t want to tell you because-”

“Were you afraid I wouldn’t approve?” David cuts her off. “Because I do. I think you’re great for each other. Killian’s a great guy and you deserve someone like him.”

Emma smiles at Killian at this. She was right about her brother wanting them together after all. Maybe the second part of this won’t blow up in their faces either.

“That’s why I tried to get you guys together to begin with before the wedding. When we came back from the honeymoon, I thought I’d give it a rest seeing as nothing was coming of it.”

Emma laughs once. “Well, I guess you could say your meddling worked, because here we are.”

Killian smiles warmly at her. Emma takes a steadying breath as she contemplates telling them the more complicated part of the story.

“But we didn’t tell you sooner because we…” She hesitates and looks between her brother and his wife. They’re being very patient and good, almost egging her on with their smiles. Feeling a little more comfortable, Emma meets Killian’s eyes and says, “We got together at your wedding.”

Dead silence is not what she’d anticipated following her statement. She looks over at her brother as his eyes go wide at the same time Mary Margaret drops her fork- the first sound that breaks the quiet with a sharp clatter against the hardwood floor.

In the heartbeat it takes for the sound to stop, Emma cringes and both David and Mary Margaret raise their voices, “You got together at our wedding and you didn’t tell us?”


End file.
